Ungulates such as deer, elk and moose shed their antlers annually, and then grow a new set. Most typically, antlers are shed between January and April, although many factors can have an effect on when the antlers are shed, such as where the animal lives, its age, etc. Antler regeneration occurs through the spring and summer months.
Many people find so-called “shed antlers” to be very desirable. For example, outdoorsmen and women prize shed antlers for display and artists used shed antlers in the creation of many types of artworks. One of the more famous and recognized uses of shed antlers is at Jackson Town Square park in Jackson, Wyo., where there is an enormous arched gate at each of the four corners of the park that is made entirely of interwoven elk antlers.
Given the desire of many people to display shed antlers and use them in the creation of artistic works, there is a need for devices that provide a way to display them. However, like snowflakes, every shed antler is different from all others and as such it can be very difficult to design an apparatus that facilitates display. There are known devices for mounting animal trophies and one such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,459,601 for “Trophy Mount.” The mount described in that patent is designed to mount and display a “European mount,” which is typically a display using an animal's skull with associated horns or antlers. In order to mount the skull on the device of the '601 patent, the trophy mount utilizes a prong and associated arms that fit into a specific anatomical parts of the skull. But shed antlers are of course devoid of the animal's skull and the device of the '601 patent does not offer a way to mount and display shed antlers.
There is a need therefore for apparatus that facilitates mounting and display of shed antlers.
The present invention comprises a mount apparatus that provides a simple and convenient way to display shed antlers.